He left Indonesia 3½ years ago under a cloud of infamy that included a pornography charge and accusations of an extramarital affair. He returned from self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia last month and was greeted like a conquering hero.
The fiery Muslim cleric Rizieq Shihab has targeted Indonesia’s secular democracy for decades, using his vigilante group, the Islamic Defenders Front, to vandalize bars, persecute rival sects and attack gay and lesbian events. Now Rizieq is calling for a renewed "moral revolution” to push Indonesia toward a more conservative vision of Islam.
He has emerged as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s most formidable foe, with an influential base of tens of thousands of followers demanding political change. His supporters say he’s defending Islam in a Muslim-majority country run by corrupt, amoral leaders. His detractors say he is an instigator who is spreading both hate and the coronavirus.